Regulatable fluid mixing and spraying device



July 3, 1962 e. B. PACKARD ETAL 3,042,314

REGULATABLE FLUID MIXING AND SPRAYING DEVICE Filed July 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS geo're B. Packard y Charles ZMflZoni 'Ze (T27 21 ttOTTLey July 3, 1962 e. B. PACKARD ETAL 3,042,314

REGULATABLE FLUID MIXING AND SPRAYING DEVICE Filed July 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 e 5m w mam wr mam w w w .5 E T mi 06 4 C United States Patent Ofi ice Patented July 3, 1962 3,i342,3l4 REGULATABLE FLUID MIXING AND 'SPRAYDIG DEVICE George B. Packard, Shrewshury, and Charles W. Monigle, Milibury, Mass., assignors to Barco Manufacturing Company, Inc., Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed July 24, 1961, Ser. No. 126,261 4 Claims. (Cl. 239-347) This invention relates to a spraying device and more particularly to a device attachable to a water hose pipe which serves to educt a liquid from a container and mix it with the water as a spray.

As set forth in the US. patent to Packard 2,991,939 of July 11, 1961, a regulated amount of liquid can be drawn by venturi action from a container through one of a series of different sized orifices which serve to regulate the quantity of liquid educted. It is often required to mix as little as one teaspoonful of the container liquid with a gallon of water spray, but this would require a very small diameter opening in such a device which might clog when certain types of liquid or solution are employed. We have found that the liquid may be metered satisfactorily in a very small quantity by means of a large valve opening, such as one of a series of meter openings in a movable plate, if the partial vacuum provided by the venturi action is reduced by the admission of air in a regulated amount coordinated with the size of the selected valve opening.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a metering spray device which satisfies the above require ment.

A further object is to provide a spraying device capable of introducing the container liquid with air in coordinated amounts which insures the delivery of a required amount of container liquid under given water pressure.

Another object is to provide a device of this type in which both the container liquid and the air are admitted to the water stream by means of separate adjustable metering elements having valve openings of different sizes and wherein the valves are movable in coordination to provide correctlyproportioned amounts of water and liquid within required limits. ()ther objects will be apparent in the following disclosure.

A spraying device according to our invention comprises a spraying head having a venturi passage through which water under pressure is conducted from a Water pipe to a spraying nozzle. A container for a required chemical or other desired liquid has an eduction tube leading the liquid to the head. A valve or metering device, such as a plate having a series of hole of different sizes, is movably interposed in that eduction passage for controlling the amount of liquid withdrawn from the container. The partial vacuum derived from the venturi passage is also controllably reduced by means of a regulating Valve which serves to admit a required amount of air thereto. Preferably air is admitted directly to the venturi passage through as second metering plate having orifices of diiferent sizes. The two valves are moved in a coordinated relationship which provides the admission of a regulated amount of air to the spray head for each measured quantity of liquid educted from the container by a given water pressure,

"Referring to the drawings illustrating one embodiment of this invention:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevation, largely in section, showingthe spray head, a liquid container, and an associated valved mechanism for regulating the flow of water and air thereto;

FIG. 2 is atop plan view of the spray head and container with other parts removed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 5

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2, which shows the relationship of the air and fluid passages; and

FIG. 5 is a similar vertical sectional view taken at right angles to the view of FIG. 4 which shows the water hose connections and the spraying head.

The preferred form of device, as illustrated, comprises a head 16 having a suitable spray nozzle 11 revolubly mounted thereon. The head has a longitudinal bore carrying a tube 12 through which water is forced, as derived from a hollow barrel-shaped handle and conduit 13 (FIG. 1) provided with an inner passage 15 communicating at its lower end with the interior of a hollow fitting 16 which has an internal screw thread arranged to be connected to a water hose pipe, as is standard practice. A chemical or other required liquid is carried in a container or bottle 18 which has a screw threaded top adapted to interfit with internal threads 19 on the head It A required liquid is educted from the container 18 through a rubber tube 20 fitted onto the lower end of a tube 21 (FIG. 4) which leads to a position near the venturi passage 22 (FIG. 5). The latter is formed as a constricted between the outlet passage 23 and a larger inlet passage 24 through which water is forced from the pipe line 15. The tube 21 is fitted within a vertical passage through the head lh, as shown in FIG. 4.

The Water pressure is regulated by a. suitable valve mechanism which, as illustrated in FIG. 1, comprises a disk 26 having its outer face shaped to be movably seated against a washer 27 mounted at the outlet end of the horizontal passage 28 of the valved handle. The disk 26 is moved towards and from the seating washer 27 by means of a plunger 30 which is movable axially of the passage 28. A helical spring 32 hearing against the plunger 26 and the opposite end of the handle passage tends to hold the valve closed and may be opened by means of a level 34 of the first class pivoted on the barrel 13. The various details of this valve structure forms no part of the present invention and are more fully set forth in said patent.

In accordance with our invention, the educted liquid which is lead to the partial vacuum space at the exit of the venturi passage 22 is metered by a regulatable valve arranged to control the amount of fluid withdrawn through the tube 20 by the suction as produced by a given water head in the handle passage 15. In the embodiment illustrated, particularly in FIG. 4, the liquid metering de vice comprises a tube 443 rotatably mounted in tube 21 and which has a series of holes 42 leading from a space 43 within the tube 29 into the interior of the tube. The space 43 is formed by a vertical slot cut in the lower end of tube 21 and it permits fluid to flow from tube 20 to the holes 42.. A tapered screw plug 44 closes the lower end of the tube 46 A filter screen 45 may be located in the lower end of tube 20 and suitably held in place.

The holes 42 are arranged radially around the tube and, as shown particularly in FIG. 3, they have different diameters and therefore provide different flow capacities for a given water head. The liquid is led from the upper end of tube 40 through exit holes 46 arranged to communicate through a hole 47 in tube 21 with the venturi space. as shown in FIG. 4.

Since the smallest diameter passage 42 may deliver too great a quantity of fluid underthe venturi action, we provide a further valve or metering device for introducing a controlled amount of air for reducing the partial vacuum produced by the venturi action. In the embodiment illustrated, the air metering is provided by a plate having a series of holes opening alternatively from the atmosphere to the venturi space. To this end, the tube 40 is fixed or made integral with a head 50 at its upper end (FIG. 4) and it is provided with a series of vertical holes 52 of different sizes. Any of the holes 52 may be successively revolved into communication with a vertical passage 53 in the head 10 which leads to an annular space 54 milled on the outside of tube 12, which provides access to the venturi space for any assembly position of tube 12. A suitable rubber O-ring 55 is located in contact with the heads 10 and 50 around passage 53, so as to avoid any lateral leakage of air into the interior. The tube 40 may be turned to various positions by rotating the head 50, and the latter may be held in any given adjusted position by means of a detent or ball 56 held against the enlarged lower end 57 of any one of the passages 52 by means of a spring 58 suitably mounted with the detent in a recess in the top of the head it}. The opening 53 is sized to receive the detent, as shown, and'urge the head to stay in an adjusted position and yet permit the head to be revolved forcibly. The openings 52 are evenly spaced angularly and so arranged that when the detent lockingly engages the edges of one recess 57, then another air hole 52 is located over the passage 53 (FIG. 4).

The fluid may rise through the removable tube 20 which has been slid over the outside of the tube 40 and pass around the tapering cone shaped screw 44 and through the slot 43 into that hole 42 communicating therewith. The fluid is drawn upwardly through tube 49 and thence laterally through a hole 46 and passage 47 into the space at the exit of the venturi passage 22 under the suction of the latter. Here, the liquid becomes mixed with air from the air inlet 52 which gives a controlled reduction of the partial vacuum so that the quantity of educted liquid is reduced or controlled.

It is found that one gallon contains about 768 teaspoons of liquid. In the preferred embodiment of structure, it is desired to deliver 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 36 teaspoons per gallon of water. To, effect this delivery quantity, we have coordinated the diameters of the air holes 52 with the diameters of the liquid suction holes 42 as shown by the following table which gives the liquid delivered with a gallon of water under a water head pressure of 60 lbs. per square inch. That is, the holes at setting No. 2 delivers 2/768 of a gallon of container fluid per gallon of Water. In the table the suction hole sizes are given as diameters in fractions of an inch.

Fluid Flow Per Dial Setting The top of the head 10 may carry an index line 6d and the revolvable head 50 may be marked with a set of numerals opposite the holes 52 which show the approximate quantity of fluid in teaspoons per gallon delivered for each setting of the head 50. Hence these parts provide a dial setting for the valve regulation. As indicated by the table, the setting No. 2 coordinates the largest air hole size of 0.052 inch diameter with the smallest suction hole size of 0.016 inch and gives a delivery of 2 tsp. of container liquid per gal. of water under the specified Water head. The setting number 36 is opposite a nonperforate portion in the head so that no air is admitted and the full capacity of the liquid suction hole of 0.052" diameter is employed. It will thus be seen that by a calculated coordination of the air and fluid hole sizes, we obtain a progressively increasing flow of container liquid as the setting of the meter head 54 is moved from 2 to 36 relative to the index mark on the head it). As will be appreciated the admission of the maximum amount of air reduces the venturi partial vacuum and causes the delivery of the minimum of the liquid from the container.

As above set forth, the flow of liquid from the container, as is caused by the water flow through the venturi passage 22, 23, is controlled by a manually regulatable valving device which limits the quantity of fluid educted from the container by the partial vacuum, and which would provide a definite stream flow if no air were introduced into the venturi passage, as is the case for setting #36 in the above table. For the delivery of a lesser amount of liquid to the water spray, air is admitted through a valve to the venturi passage in an amount determined by the valve setting. Although separately operable valves might be employed to regulate the air and liquid flows, it is preferred to coordinate the valve settings in a single manually operable device so that the user may obtain a progressively increased delivery of liquid according to an orderly and progressive variation in a dial setting with the minimum of mental effort. The valves, as above described, are preferably formed of two members, each having a series of holes of different sizes which through friction limit the delivery of the fluid by any particular hole. These members with their different sized holes are tied together mechanically, so that the user of the device has merely to make a single setting of a dial to provide a desired liquid flow. In the illustrated construction, the liquid flow is valved by means of a series of holes 42 in a tube depending into the container and these holes are revolvably moved progressively into communication with an inlet passage 43 in an outer tube 20 forming a barrier to fluid flow except through the passage 43, and the parts are so arranged that only one metering hole may communicate with that passage at any time. The exit holes 46 may be of a large size and arranged angularly to serve as outlets for the inlet holes 42, so that they cooperate to provide the fluid flow. Similarly, the air is metered in the preferred embodiment by means of a series of air holes 52 which are arranged to be revolved one at a time into communication with the space 53 which leads to the venturi passage. By having the revoluble dialing disk 50 integral with the tube 40, the holes 42 and 52 may be selectively and simultaneously brought into communication with the venturi passage.

It will now be appreciated that various modifications may be made in this structure to provide the coordinated valving of liquid and air which are introduced to the spray head and that the above disclosure is to be interpreted as setting forth the principles of the invention and a preferred embodiment and not as imposing limitations on the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A spraying apparatus comprising a conduit for water under pressure, a container for a liquid, a head on the top of the container, a spray nozzle on the head, said head having a venturi passage between said conduit and said nozzle which provides a partial vacuum, an eduction tube depending from said head and connected for introducing liquid into the partial vacuum developed in said passage, said head having an air inlet for admitting air to said passage to reduce the partial vacuum, a valve associated with said tube for controlling the liquid flow through said tube, a valve carried by the head for controlling the admission of air through said inlet, and a manually settable dial device interconnecting and operating said valves simultaneously, said valves being moved to progressively close the air intake and simultaneously increase the delivery of liquid according to an orderly variation in the dial setting.

2. A spraying apparatus according to claim 1 in which each valve comprises a movable member provided with a set of openings of different sizes and an associated member having a single opening, each of said movable members being movable to position any one of the openings therein in communication with the single opening in the associated member and provide a passage of a controlled size, the openings in said movable members being reversely arranged in a series of graduated sizes so that the fluid flow through one valve increases as the flow of air through the other valve decreases.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the dial device is rotatable and the liquid controlling valve comprises two concentric interfitting tubes, one of which is connected to said dial device, one tube having a single hole and the other tube having a row of holes of graduated sizes arranged to communicate with said single hole, one tube extending downwardly to receive liquid and the other tube communicating with said venturi passage.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said dial device has a circular row of air holes of graduated sizes and the head has a single air passage leading to the venturi passage, and the dial device is rotatable on the head to interconnect one of the row of holes with the passage in the head, said dial device being mounted on and fixed to said rotary tube so as to coordinate the air and liquid flows.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

